Swimming circle



March 27, 1928. 1,664,140

J. D. TUCKER v SWIMMING CIRCLE Filed Nov. 5, 192 2 Sheets-Sheet l Fig.1

Fig. 3

INVENTOR. J. D. Tucker XWQ QAASL,

TITORNEY March 27, 1928, I 1,664,140

J. TUCKER SWIMMING CIRCLE Filed N 5. 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet IN V EN TOR.

JD. Tucker BY E S a? K SLETTORNEY Patented Mar. 27, 1928.

UNITED STATES- PATENT oFFiCE.

MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA.

SWIMMING CIRCLE.

Application filed November 3, 1926. Serial No. 145,995.

This invention relates to improvements in swimming structures, myprincipal object being to provide a swimming area in which an artificialcurrent of any desired velocity is maintained in the water so that a swmmer can at his option pit his strength against the current or may swimwith the same. I have thus imitated conditions obtainable'in a swiftflowing river without the danger sometimes accompanying swimming in anopen river and without the necessity of such a river being anywhere inthe vicinity.

In addition to the above mentioned swimming area I may also provideother'and independent swimming areas in connection therewith, havingmeans for imitating Waves, rapids and other moving water effects so thata swimmer may experience a variety of sensations while swimming, similarto those hewould have when swimming where such features are natural.

A further object of the invention is to produce a simple and inexpensivedevice and yet one which will be exceedingly efiective for the purposefor which it is designed.

These objects I accomplish by means of such structure and relativearrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the followingspecification and claims.

In the drawings similar characters of reference indicate correspondingparts in the several views:

Fig. 1 is a top plan View of a swimming pool showing my artificialcurrent swimming circle arranged in unitary and surrounding associationtherewith.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary section on the line 33 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a half plan of the swimming pool showing a number of swimmingcircles provided with different water-motion creating means surroundingthe pool.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary section of a wave-makin swimmingcircle taken on the line 5-5 of *ig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a similar view of a swimming circle having a means forimitating rapids or similar effects taken on the line 66 of Fig. 4.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on thedrawings, and particularly at present to Figs. 1 to 3, 1 denotes aswimming pool preferably of oval form and of varying depth from end toend as is customary. Surrounding the pool in spaced relation thereto isa' continuous canal 2 of any desired and even depth suitable forswimming, a walk or runway 3 for the swim- 0 mers being provided betweenthe pool and the canal and another walk 4 being provided around theouter edge of the canal. Extending across the canal at the bottomthereof is a. nozzle 5 connected by a pipe6 5 to the discharge of acentrifugal pump 7, which is mounted in any convenient location relativeto the pool and driven by any suitable means. The intake pipe 8 of thepump leads thereto from the canal a short distance 7 behind the nozzle.It will therefore be seen that with the operation of the pump, and thecanal initially filled with water,- a current will be set up from thenozzle around the canal and other intake pipe; the veloc 7 ity of thecurrent of course dependingv upon the speed and size of the pump. Atintervals the inner wall of the canal is recessed as at 9 to form eddyor quiet water pools, with steps 10 leading down from the runway 3 sothat the swimmers may enter the water in the canal'without at the timebeing seriously affected by the current. There is no communicationbetweenthe canal and the pool 1, so that the water in the latter is notaffected by the current in the canal. The entire structure is shownherein as being made of concrete but other materials may be used ofcourse if desired.

Referring to Figs. 4 to 6, I have shown the swimming pool 1 as beingsurrounded by a number of different canals each separate from eachother. The canal 11 nearest the pool is of curved zig-zag form in ahorizontal plane, the water in such canal preferably having anartificial current imparted thereto by similar means such as has beendescribed in connection with the canal 2.

A canal 12 adjacent and outwardly of the canal 11 is provided atintervals in its length with vertical ridges 12 extending side by sideof the canal, the sectional form of these ridges, longitudinally of thecanal, simulating that of waves. To cause the water in the canal toforcefully flow up and over the ridges, so that a swimmer will becarried up and down as when swimming in waves in the ocean, a nozzle 14through which water is forced is disposed in the bottom of the canal atthe front end of each ridge,- as shown ig no Fig. 5. This nozzle facesthe adjacent side of the ridge and is angled so as to cause the water tobe forced directly up said side. The normal water level in the canalbetween the ridges is of course maintained somewhat:

below the top of said ridges.

Another canal 15 outwardly of the canal 12 is also provided withupstanding ridges 16, located similar to the ridges 13, each such ridgehaving a nozzle 17 at its base on the forward side thereof. The rearside of these ridges however instead of being straight as is the frontside, are broken to form a number of smooth edged steps, as shown at.18, so that the water after being forced over the top of the ridges bythe nozzles will flow downwardly over the steps and will give a swimmerin the water asensation similar to passing over rapids or cascades.

Still another canal 2 having the same straight bottom'and currentcreating means as the canal 2 is provided outwardly of the canal l5. I

All the different canals are separated from each other and from the mainpool and have no commun1cat1on with each other, so that thewater may bedrained out of any one for cleaning or the like or left inert,withoutinterfering with the operations of the other canals.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that I haveproduced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects of-theinvention as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in de tail the present andpreferred. construction of the device, still in practice such deviationsfrom such detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from thespirit of the invention, as defined by the appendedv claims.

Having thus. described my invention what I claim as new and useful anddesire to secure by Letters Patent is: 1. A swimming structureconsisting of a continuous endless canal, means for maintaining acurrent of water in the canal for substantially the entire lengththereof, and a. recess in one of the side walls of the canal extendingdownwardly from the top thereof and disposed to one side of the line offlow of the current to form a relatively still water area into which aswimmer may first pass when entering the canal.

2. A swimming structure including a stillwater swimming tank, and acontinuous swimming canal associated with and surrounding said tank buthaving no communication therewith.

A swimming structure including a stillwater swimming tank, a. continuousswimming canal associated with and surrounding said tank, and an endlesswall separating the tank and canal, said wall being of a width to serveas a walk.

4. A swimming structure including a stillwater swimming tank, and aplurality of endless separated canals associated with and surroundingthetanlgand said canals being separated from the tank and from eachother and tl i-e wall-contour of the different canals being differentfromv each other.

7 In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

JESSE D. TUCKER.

